During a meeting in Anchorage, Vladimir Putin, in negotiations with American leader Donald Trump, insisted on recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. This was reported by Reuters, citing informed sources.
According to the agency's interlocutors, the Russian president is seeking "official" confirmation of Crimea's status as part of the Russian Federation. However, it remains unclear from whom exactly such recognition is expected—whether only from the U.S. or from all Western countries along with Ukraine.
Reuters reports that a central point of Putin's demands was the peaceful transfer of Ukrainian-controlled areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In exchange, Russia is allegedly prepared to halt advances in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions and withdraw troops from occupied parts of the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. Similar information was previously published by Axios.
According to the agency, Ukraine currently holds approximately 6,600 square kilometers of territory in Donbas, while Russian forces control about 440 square kilometers in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
Additionally, sources indicate that Putin is seeking the lifting of at least some anti-Russian sanctions, though the specific restrictive measures—whether American or European—are not specified in the report.
Another demand, as reported by Reuters, is a ban on Ukraine's accession to NATO. At the same time, the Russian leader allegedly allows for alternative security guarantees to be provided to Kyiv. Axios previously reported that among the possible guarantors, Putin mentioned China.
The agency also writes that the Russian side insists on granting the Russian language official status in Ukraine and ensuring the free operation of the Russian Orthodox Church on Ukrainian territory.
Discussion of these and other conditions is scheduled for August 18 in Washington, where Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders will meet. According to Axios, the American president is also considering the possibility of trilateral talks with Putin and Zelensky on August 22, though the location has not yet been determined.